Automatic car-coupling.



PATENTBD DEC. 4, 1906.

W. S. WRIGHT. AUTOMATIC CAR GOUPLING. APPLIogTIoN FILED 11.13.21. 1906.

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ESSES- WILLIAM S. WRIGHT, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed-March 21, 1906. Serial No. 307,142.

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Vheeling, county of Ohio, and State of WestVirginia, have invented certain new and'useiul Improvements in AutomaticCar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in car-couplings,and more particularly to a coupling which is specially adapted to streetandV elevated railway car service, and it consists in the particularconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which willhereinafter be fully described.

The object oi the invention is to provide a simple, durable, andeflicient automatic coupling Jfor cars of the character mentioned whichis composed ofbut few parts, without springs, and which is consequentlylittle liable to become out of order.

A further object oi the invention is to provide a draw-headfor cars towhich the coupling-link ordinarily employed on elevatedrailway cars isreadily applicable and which consequently may be used upon cars andcoupled with other cars equipped with the ordinary draw-head and linkand a still further object is to provide a car-coupling the constructionof which is such as to render coupling positive and accidentaluncoupling impossible.

1n describing the invention in detail reference is herein had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-Figure f1 is a top plan view oi two drawlieads coupled together. Fig. 2is a longitudinal vertical section of the same with the coupling-linkremoved. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal horizontal section of the same,showing the draw-heads in coupling engagement. Fig` 4 is an end view ofthe draw-head; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings, in which like reference numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 indicate the twodraw-heads, each of which consists, in part, oi a substantiallyrectangular hollow casing with awide flaring mouth adapted to affordready access to the coupling-link 3 andto facilitatethe entrance of theend of said link.

Centrally located and extending through vertical pin-aperture 4, whichis adapted to receive a coupling-pin 5. Said apertures are preferably ofoval shape-that is, elongatedthe length of each aperture being parallelwith the axis of the draw-head, and the pins 5 are oi correspondingshape. Extending through each draw-head in the rear of said aperture 4and near the side wall 6 is a lateral pin-aperture 7, corresponding insize and shape to the aperture 4, but inclined obliquely to the axis ofthe draw-head, as shown.

Vithin each draw-head, in the upper and lower cazing-walls thereof, areregistering recesses S of irregular shape or outline, in which. arerespectively point 10, which is adapted to be engaged by the end of thecoupling-link 3, as will hereinafter be more fully described. Said doghas provided in its upper edge a recess 11, which is adapted to beautomatically engaged by the lower end of a locking-bar 12 when thecoupling of the two draw-heads has been efi'ected. y

An integral vertical post 13 is provided upon the top of eachdra -headat a suitable point, and pivoted thereto is the end ot a curved lever14, the body of which normally lies in a substantially horizontalposition at right angles to the axis of the draw-head. The locking-bar12, which projects through and is vertically movable in an opening inthe upper wall of the casing in the rear of said lever 14, has a stud 15projecting forward from its upper end 16 over the said lever 14, and, asis obvious, by raising said lever the said locking-bar is raised out ofengagement with the recess 11 in the dog 9, leaving said dog Jfree tomove outward, sliding in the recesses 8 of the draw-head. On the upperedge of the dog 9 at its point 10 is an integral lug 17, adapted toengage the lower end of the locking-bar 12 to prevent said dog trombeing entirely withdrawn Jfrom the draw-head, the lever 14 beingincapable of raising the said locking-bar to a su'tiicient height toadmit of the passage oi said lug 17.

The coupling-link 3 comprises a bar, preterably rectangular incross-section, which is recessed at one end to form a lateral hook 18for engaging the point 10 oi the dog 9 when in coupled position. Acentral vertical aperture 19 is provided in said bar, which aperture isadapted i in one draw-head While the hook 1S is in each draw-headadjacent to its outer end is a coupled engagement with the dog 9 in theto register with the aperture( A held the upper and lower edges of amovable dog 9, having a roundedl IOS other draw-head. Asis apparent,both ends of the link may be recessed to form hooks, if desired, thehooks being provided upon the opposite edges of the bar. The extremeends of the link are rounded, as shown, or may be beveled approximatelyto a point. To provide means whereby said link 3 may be employed tocouple the draw-heads rigidly together, a secondaperture 2() is providedin the link at a suitable distance from the aperture 19. Then saidapertures 19 and 20 may be made to register, respectively, with theapertures 4 in the two draw-heads and the coupling-pins 5 insertedtherethrough.

The operation of my invention is substantially as follows: The link 3 isiirst secured, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3, in the draw-head 2 byinserting the pin 5 through the aperture 4 'therein and the aperture 19in the link,

which latter aperture has previously been made to register with saidaperture 4, and the pin 5 of the opposite draw-head 1 is inserted in thelateral aperture 7. The dog 9 of said draw-head 1 stands with its buttproj ected outward beyond the face of said drawhead, having beenwithdrawn to that position by a previous uncoupling, and the locking-bar12 stands with its lower end vresting upon the upper edge of said dogdirectly in front ofthe lug 17. When the cars to which the draw-heads 1and 2 are attached-are brought together in coupling position, the hookend of the link 3 passes directly and unobstructedly into the opening inthe drawi head 1, being guided or directed by the inwardly-inclined wall21, and when the face of the draw-head 2 strikes the butt of the dog 9the latter is driven inward to substantially the position shown in Fig.3, in which its point 1() is shown in engagement with the hook 18 of thelink 3, being directed to that position by the rounded projection orreinforcement'22, carried by the casing, and by the pin 5, saidprojection 22 directing the rounded point 10 past the front edge of saidpin. Being driven to said position, the locking-bar 12 automaticallydrops into engagement with the recess 11 in said dog and 'Iirmly' locksthe latter against retraction. As shown, the point ofthe dog 9 occupiesa position between the pin 5 and the walls 23 of the recesses 8, whichresults in admitting of but little play in said point.y Said walls 23,being curved rearwardly and inwardly, as shown,

form a bearing which relieves much ofthe stress, which would otherwisebe almost wholly upon the locking-bar 12. To uncouple the cars, thelever 14, carried by the draw-head 1, is raised to approximately theposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, thus withdrawing thelocking-bar from engagement with the recess in the dog. Then when aseparating force is exerted the dog 9 slips outward, and, being guidedby the walls 23, the point l0 of the dog is withdrawn -in the rear ofthe from engagement with and out of the path ot travel of said hook 18.The dog 9 in the opposite draw-head 2 occupies substantially theposition shown in Fig. 3, in which it appears as occupying a positionbetween the side ofthe link 3 and the wall of the casing, a suilicientspace being left by the absence of the pin '5 'from the lateral aperture4.

It frequently happens in coupling cars that the dog 9 has beenaccidentally or inadvertently forced inward to the position which itoccupies when in coupled position. In such cases the lever 14 has onlyto be raised to withdraw the locking-bar from engagement with the recess11. The force of the impact vwhen the rounded or beveled end 24 of thelink 3 strikes the rounded point 10 of said dog will cause said dog tojump back sulficiently to admit of the passage of said link.

' The lever 14 is pivoted above and slightly point occupied by the stud15 of the locking-bar when the latter is in lowered position, and beingso located and bent over, as shown, when it is raised the saidlocking-bar is readil;T raised thereby, but is not permitted to beaccidentally raised while the lever remains lowered by reason of thefact that the pivoted end of the lever overlies a portion of saidlocking-bar. The curvature of the pivoted end of said lever is such thatthe locking-bar may be raised only to a point where it will clear therecess 11 in the dog 9, attempts to further raise said bar resulting insaid bar being subjected to a lateral pressure against the side of theopening in which it operates.

As is obvious, various minor changes in the form and arrangement of theparts composing the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe general spirit or scope thereof. Hence I do not wish to limit myselfto the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein shown anddescribed.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic car-coupling, a drawhead having a flaring mouth,recessed walls within said draw-head, a dog movably mounted with itsedges engaging said re cessed walls, means for automatically directingsaid dog to a coupling position, locking means for said dog,'a linkhaving a hooked end for interlocking engagement with the front end ofsaid dog, means for locking said dog in engagement with said hooked end,means for releasing said dog and means for preventing the completeretraction of said dog.

2. In an automatic car-coupling, a hollow draw-head, the upper and lowerinternal walls of which are provided with registering rearwardly andinwardly inclined recesses, a lateral vertical pin-aperture in saiddraw- IOO IIO

head, a central vertical aperture in said head, a pin mounted in saidlateral aperture, a slidable dog in said head with its edges in saidrecesses, the walls forming the boundaries of said recesses beingadapted for directing said dog inward and outward respectively incoupling and uncoupling, means for automatically locking said dog in itsinward or coupled position, means for releasing said dog, means Jforpreventing the complete retraction of said dog when released, and acoupling-link having a hooked end adapted to automatically engage thefront end of said dog.

3. In an automatic coupling for cars, two like draw heads, a curved dogslidably mounted in each draw-head, walls for directing said dogs to andfrom the coupling position, a centrally-located pin-aperture in theiront end of each head, a laterally-located pin-aperture in each head, apin in the lateral aperture in one of said heads, a couplinglink havinga hook on one side adapted for engagement with the end of thelaterallymounted pin, said link having a central aperture registeringwith the central aperture in the other draw-head, a pinv projectingthrough said registering apertures, means whereby the dog engaging thehook is normally held against retraction when occupying a coupledposition, means for releasing said dog, and means whereby said dog whenreleased is directed by the withdrawal of the link out of the path ofthe hook.

4. The combination with a draw-head, of a dog movably mounted therein,said dog having parallel edges engaging recessed walls in said head, acoupling-link comprising a bar substantially rectangular incross-section and having a hook formed on the end thereof for engagingthe point of said dog, means for locking said dog in engagement withsaid hook, means whereby said dog may be released from engagement withsaid hook, and a lug on said dog for preventing its complete withdrawalfrom the draw-head.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, of a dogslidably mounted in said head, said head having recesses in its upperand lower walls in which the dog is held, the boundary-walls of saidrecesses being curved for directing said dog to and Jfrom asubstantially central position, a removable pin vertically mounted insaid head, -means for directing the point of the dog past said pin, acoupling-link having a hooked end adapted for positively engaging thepoint of said dog when in said central position, said dog provided witha recess in its edge, a locking-bar mounted to automatically engage saidrecess to prevent the retraction of the dog from said central position,alever for raising said locking-bar from engagement with said recess,and a lug carried by the dog for preventing the complete withdrawal ofthe latter from the draw-head when said locking-bar is raised.

6. In an automatic car-coupling, a hollow draw-head the upper and lowerinterior walls of which are cored out forming corresponding registeringrecesses, a dog movably mounted with its opposite edges in saidrecesses, the inner boundary-walls of said recesses being curvedrearwardly and inwardly, a lateral vertical pin-aperture in said head, apin in said aperture, a projection on the lateral wall for directing thedog past said pin as it is forced inward, a coupling-link having ahooked end for engagement with said dog, a vertically-movablelocking-bar for engaging a recess provided in said dog to prevent itsretraction, means for withdrawing said locking-bar Jfrom engagement withthe recess in the dog, and a lug on the-dog for engaging the lower endof said locking-bar when the latter is fully raised to prevent thecomplete withdrawal of said dog.

7. The combination with two draw-heads having central pin-aperturestherethrough, and with the internal mechanism thereof, of acoupling-link adapted for both automatically-releasable and rigidengagement therewith, said link comprising a straight bar having oneedge plain and its other edge recessed near one end to form a lateralhook, a central vertical pin-aperture in said bar, and a second verticalpin-aperture located in the end of the bar opposite the hook, saidsecond aperture being spaced Jfrom the central aperture a distance equalto that between the apertures in the draw-heads when the latter are incoupled engagement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

WILLIAM S. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

EARLE A. LEUKARD, H. E. DUNLAP.

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